"Suit yourself Don, but I'm not an idiot you know." Kerry grabbed the binoculars up off the back seat and focused them towards the lamp post Claire had been leaning against a second before. "Don!" This time there was no mocking tone, "Don, where's Claire?"
His anger melted instantly and together the officers started scanning the area in search of their colleague. With increasing panic their eyes darted from one dingy alley to another, it seemed as though the whole street was one giant intersection and that Claire could be anywhere.
"She didn't get in a car did she?" Don's voice was almost hopeful. He picked up his radio, John must have seen where she went, he didn't even have a DC to distract him. "DS Beech to DS Boulton, has the bait connected with target?"
John, who at that moment had his own binoculars focused on the occupants of the cars crawling the street, was brought back to earth with a painful jolt. Why did Don need to ask, weren't they all watching. Well, he hadn't been, but there were three of them with eye view of the lamp post, and that's when he saw it, glowing tall and orange in the night sky, with no Claire underneath.
With a momentary glance up and down the road, he threw caution to the wind. Never one for the rules, John sprang from the car running across the road towards the corner where Claire had been. The others, following John's example abandoned their own cars to join him, where all three came to an unpleasant halt. Which way had she gone.
A minute later, Duncan and Mickey had joined them. There was only choice: they would have to abandon the obbo. They needed to find Claire before it was too late.
"Ok everyone," Don maintained his cool persona, "The important thing now is that we find Claire. She could have gone with Finchly, or she could have been taken by someone else completely. We'll split up into three and take an area each."
Without preamble the group divided, the two sergeants running silently down the nearest backstreet.
Kerry and Duncan hurried to the next, Duncan's breath coming in sharp gasps of cold night air, but despite his weight, the DC pushed himself on, determined to find his friend. Kerry too was worried. Claire was her best friend and although she was sometimes jealous of the other woman, there was already a niggling guilt at the back of her consciousness.
They reached the end lane and backtracked to take another and another. The more turns they took the more lost and hopeless it all became.
"Maybe there was a car and we all missed it," Kerry's voice was choked.
"No," Duncan's broad Scots cut across her. "Mickey and I would've seen.
Kerry turned away, tears now rolling freely down her cheeks and out of the corner of her eye, she spotted movement at the end of a nearby street. In a frantic movement, she quietened Duncan and slowly the pair stole towards the corner.
Meanwhile, Mickey had been charged with interrogating the working girls around the vicinity. Had any of them noted what so many police had failed to? Had they seen where the young blond girl, who'd been standing on the corner a minute before, had gone?
Cautiously he headed for the nearest tom. She was a skinny thing and as he got closer he could see she was no more than a kid, despite the copious amounts of makeup smeared over her face. Her legs were like sticks and Mickey had the sinking suspicion, that if it hadn't been for the darkness, there would be needle marks visible on her arms.
"Hey," He reached into his pocket for his warrant card, "I'm DC Webb, Sun Hill police, I need to ask you some quick questions."
The girl, who had obviously thought he was reaching for a wallet glared up with a weak pretence of distain.
"I ain't seen nothing," She turned hurriedly, obviously wanting to get away.
"Please," Mickey's voice was pitiful. "Did you see where that blond girl, the one who was standing under that lamp post, where'd she go?" The girl seemed to hesitate for a moment. Obviously it had not been the question she was expecting.
"Why d'you want to know?"
"She's a friend," Mickey was economical with the truth, but he could tell the girl was sympathetic. "I'm afraid something might happen to her, and it's my fault she's here."
"There was a man," The girl shrugged. "She went with him." When Mickey continued to stare at her expectantly, she added, "That way," and pointing down the back street Beach and Boulton had disappeared she turned away.
Mickey would have thanked her, but the poor kid was already half way towards another car, its passenger door half open. Instead, he chose to follow her tip and he raced as quietly as he could down the street.